The Finding Aid of the Loyd C. Sigmon Papers
0063

The processing of this collection and the creation of this finding aid was funded by the generous support of the National
Historical Publications and Records Commission.

Pepperdine University. Special Collections and University Archives.

24255 Pacific Coast Highway

Malibu, CA, 90263-4786

(310) 506-4434

specialcollections@pepperdine.edu

February 2013

Title: Loyd C. Sigmon papers

Identifier/Call Number: 0063

Contributing Institution:
Pepperdine University. Special Collections and University Archives.

Language of Material:
English

Physical Description:
1.69 linear feet
(2 boxes)

Date (inclusive): 1945-2008

Abstract: The collection contains materials created by or about Loyd C. Sigmon from 1945 to 2008. Items relate to his interest in radio
broadcasting, the creation of SigAlert (a traffic and emergency alert system), and his inventions. Books, plaques, articles,
newspaper clippings, biographical materials, blueprints, and notebooks, are found within the collection.

Creator:
Sigmon, Loyd C., 1909-2004

Conditions Governing Access

Advance notice required for access.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.

Materials were transferred from University Advancement to the University Archives on March 16, 2010.

Biographical note

Loyd C. Sigmon was born in Stigler, Oklahoma on May 6, 1909 to a cattle-ranching family. He went to school at Wentworth Military
Academy and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was interested in radio as a young man, and earned his his amateur radio
license (W6LQ) at age 14. His broadcasting career began in 1932 at the Boston Short Wave and Television Laboratories. In 1941,
he was hired as an engineer for MacMillan Petroleum Company's flagship radio station, KMPC, in Los Angeles, California.

During World War II, he served in the United States Army Signal Corps as Officer in charge of Communications for the Supreme
Allied Command in Europe. He came up with the idea for the SigCircus, a mobile radio broadcasting unit on a fleet of 17 trucks
which was able to send and receive messages simultaneously from Europe and the United States.

Sigmon resumed his job in Los Angeles after the war, and eventually became Executive Vice President at Gene Autry's Golden
West Broadcasters. The company owned eight radio and two television stations on the west coast, including KMPC.

In 1955, Sigmon invented a specialized radio and tape recorder that the Los Angeles Police Department used to alert radio
stations throughout the city to traffic conditions and emergencies. The messages were referred to as "Sigmon traffic alerts,"
a phrase quickly shortened to "SigAlert." While originally intended for any emergency or traffic situation, the system is
now mainly used for traffic alerts.

Loyd Sigmon received recognition and honors from local and state government agencies, the National Safety Council, and broadcasting
and radio organizations. He was a member of the University Board at Pepperdine University, and an office in the Center for
Communication and Business is named after him. Sigmon died in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, on June 2, 2004.

Scope and Content

The collection contains materials created by or about Loyd C. Sigmon from 1945 to 2008. Items relate to his interest in radio
broadcasting, the creation of SigAlert (a traffic and emergency alert system), and his inventions. Items include engineering
books and books on Los Angeles traffic; plaques celebrating Sigmon; articles and newspaper clippings about Sigmon and/or SigAlert;
biographical material; a radio station photo album; blueprints for electronic gates, home improvements, a police receiver,
a Mark IV radio receiver, and circuits; and a blueprint map of trans-Atlantic cables, radio and circuits passing between Europe,
England, the United States, and Iceland from 1945.

Related Archival Materials

Files related to the University Board can be found in the M. Norvel and Helen Young papers 0014, the Howard A. White papers
0010, and the William S. Banowsky papers 0002. Items are restricted for 50 years after their creation date.

Processing Information note

The collection was arranged and described by Jamie Henricks, Katie Richardson, and Lindsey Gant in February, 2013.